Social Media Marketing Strategy for Financial Professionals

These days, just about every company can benefit from a social media campaign. While life insurance and Twitter may seem like unlikely partners, financial professionals that properly leverage social media marketing avenues stand to gain greatly. Here are a few tips to help you launch a successful social media campaign:

Start with the basics

Before signing up for Twitter or launching a Facebook page, make sure you have your basics taken care of. Start with a strong website. Anyone who spends time browsing the Internet knows the difference between a clean, modern and well maintained website versus one that looks like it hasn’t been updated since the Clinton administration. Of course, no one expects you to be an insurance agent and a webmaster, so if you don’t have a flair for website design, fear not.

There are plenty of ways to design a great site without expertise, but you need to know where to look. Look for companies that can provide you with templates to model your site. Alternatively, you can outsource the whole project to a pro.

Once you have the site set up, make sure there’s a reason for people to visit it. Whether you update it with news stories or provide tips for picking out the perfect insurance policy, make your website a go-to place for customers who need information about insurance.

Develop your social media presence

A good social media strategy is vital for your business.

Now that you have a place to send your readers, it’s time to get on social media. Generally, the best places to start are on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

LinkedIn: For business professionals looking to connect, LinkedIn is the first stop. Start by creating a unique company page or work from your individual profile. Connect with friends, colleagues and prospects by uploading your email list and see who has a profile. Unlike Facebook, which is often used for social purposes, people use LinkedIn for professional reasons, making it a great place to make connections. These connections can then be organized into groups with tags – financial advisors, current clients, and prospects, for example – to help you see and contact the right people at the right time. You can also keep up with others in your industry so you stay abreast of current trends.

Facebook: A huge portion of the population is on Facebook, most of whom log on regularly. That means it’s where your company should be staking its claim. Facebook not only provides you with the ability to reach out to your current and potential clients, but it also gives them a platform to reach out to you, as well.

Set up a page for yourself or a business page and be sure to update it regularly with information that would be interesting or informative to your clients. Do your followers know why estate planning is an important step for them to take? Make sure you tell them.

Twitter: A bit different than Facebook by nature, Twitter rewards brevity and quick information. There are a few interesting ways to use Twitter that differentiate it from Facebook. Twitter for business is great for brand awareness, starting conversations with potential clients, and sharing information. Industry news about how easy it is for individuals to purchase insurance or how affordable it can be are ideal for this platform. Update your Twitter feed regularly, but avoid spamming your followers with useless or repetitive messages.

Keep SEO in mind

There are lots of ways to drive traffic to your Facebook page, Twitter feed and website. Using cross promotion is great – put up a Facebook post reminding your followers to also check you out on Twitter. In your email signature, be sure to include links so people can find your social media page. But one of the most essential parts of keeping up your online presence is using search engine optimization, or SEO.

Use lots of keywords on your website that will help search engines like Google locate your page when someone searches for, say, “Tampa life insurance.” Long-tail keywords area also helpful. These are phrases that are included in your website that people may search for, like “Do seniors need estate planning?”

Social media isn’t just for millennials – with the right techniques, it can be an invaluable lead generation tool for insurance agents.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2014 and has been reviewed and updated.

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